Published: Sunday, August 26, 2012 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, August 25, 2012 at 10:46 p.m.

Scattered across Marion County, students of all ages — primarily in middle and high school — are taking online courses for a variety of reasons.

Some students take one or two advanced college-prep courses to get ahead. Others are looking for “grade forgiveness,” taking online courses to make up for the classes they failed or did poorly in.

Still others are home-schooled, or are taking a full load of online courses but split time between home and school.

They are among a growing number of students nationwide who are turning to “virtual schools” for some, or all, of their schooling.

Nationally, K-12 students earned 1.82 million half credits through virtual schools in 2010, up from 317,070 in 2003. The International Association for K-12 Online Learning predicts that number will grow to 5 million half credits by 2016.

A half credit is generally earned for a semester-long course.

In Florida, 148,000 students earned 303,000 half credits through the state's largest online school, Florida Virtual, during the 2011-12 school year, up from about 100 half credits 14 years ago.

Students are also flocking to the area's local online school, Marion Virtual. Marion Virtual's enrollment has climbed from just a handful six years ago to 655 in 2011-12. About 1,200 local students are also enrolled at Florida Virtual.

But while parents' and students' demands for virtual school instruction are exploding, some educators are concerned that there are not enough data to determine whether the quality of virtual schools is as good as traditional brick-and-mortar schools.

A report published in January by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado found that in 2010-2011 only 27 percent of the nation's 93 privately managed virtual schools achieved “adequate yearly progress” as defined by the federal government under the No Child Left Behind Act.

And a U.S. Department of Education study says data on virtual schools is limited and inconclusive.

The 2010 study revealed that while college and older students perform marginally better on online courses than students who receive face-to-face instruction, it noted that very little scientific analysis has been done on virtual K-12 schools.

Yet many parents are convinced.

George and Dorothy Davis decided about two years ago to explore virtual school after watching their youngest son, Travis, struggle to adapt to middle school. They liked what they saw in Marion Virtual and asked their oldest son, Cody, if he wanted to try it also.

“I thought I would give it a try,” said Cody, now 15, whose education has been interrupted several times in recent years as the family moved around. “This way I would never have to change schools again.”

Away from what he calls the “drama” of middle and high school, Cody says he is more focused on his studies through Marion Virtual. He works at his desk from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

One of the criticisms of virtual school is the absence of face-to-face contact with a teacher. Virtual school teachers monitor students' progress from afar, are available to answer questions by phone, email or instant messaging and call students periodically to review course material and make sure the students understand what they're learning.

Dorothy Davis believes her sons actually have more access to teachers than when they were in traditional schools. Davis said the boys can contact virtual teachers all day long for help.

“I believe they are getting a better education,” she said, adding she knows her boys understand the material by the time they finish.

One of the state's leading fiscal watchdogs, Florida TaxWatch, agrees.

A 2006 study by TaxWatch concluded that virtual school students in grades K-12 outperformed mainstream students by 16 percentage points on the reading and math portions of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT. The report showed these students also scored better on advanced placement tests.

But that study is six years old, and there have been few subsequent studies that examine K-12 virtual school instruction.

Dee McCollum, 53, spent 30 years teaching at mainstream schools before leaving to teach full-time at Marion Virtual. McCollum believes the curriculum, which adheres the Florida Sunshine State Standards, is rigorous and effective.

McCollum said that about half of her students tend to be home-schooled. Those students generally work from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The others are mainstream brick-and-mortar students. They need help from 4-8 p.m.

McCollum says the beauty of the job, is that all of her work is tied to the phone and can talk to students from any location, even while she is on vacation.

“I can tell you that these kids are getting a quality education,” she said. “It's not some easy grade. They will tell you, they work very hard to pass these classes.”

Still, about half the students who start a semester in virtual school quit and return to the traditional classroom. In the 2010-11 school year, Marion Virtual students started 5,000 half-credit courses, yet only 2,500 credits were earned. Students can quit within two weeks without penalty.

Chris Altobello, president of the Marion Education Association, said that was the case when he was a middle school counselor.

“We support it, though it does have its place,” he cautioned.

The MEA is also concerned that virtual schools will be allowed to go far beyond the state class-size amendment in mainstream classrooms: 18 for grades K-2; 22 for grades 3-5; and 25 for middle and high schools.

“Now that would not be good for education,” Altobello said. Currently, Marion Virtual teachers are assigned the same number of students as traditional teachers.

West Port High Principal Jayne Ellspermann said one big concern is that full-time virtual students may struggle to comprehend some classes and are not able to get valuable face-to-face interaction with their teacher.

“For some online students, if they don't have that (face-to-face) teacher interaction, they don't do as well,” Ellspermann said. “Overall, it (virtual school) is a great option for some children.”

Marion Virtual student Missy Varnadoe, 13, also prefers working at her own pace. If she knows a chapter well, she zips right through it. If she is struggling, she can slow down and really learn the material.

Her mother, Patti Varnadoe, 49, said that in a mainstream classroom a teacher moves through a lesson plan even if all the children don't understand.

Missy does not miss the distractions of the middle school drama and spends time on Sunday and Wednesday with her church family for socialization.

“I am able to have a better relationship with the Lord,” she said.

Patti Varnadoe, however, said that some courses, like Spanish, are more difficult to master online than others.

Other classes are difficult to teach online.

Students in Lisa Iketani's physical fitness course create exercise routines and chart them in a log. They also learn good eating habits. They take tests and have one-on-one telephone tests with Iketani.

But Iketani knows that her class logs could be easily fabricated, so she has had to develop a system of checks to make sure students are learning the material.

Iketani said periodic verbal assessments with students give her an opportunity to gauge whether the child is doing the work or just pretending.

She also talks to parents monthly, often asking where their child has been working and what activities are being performed.

Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.

<p>Scattered across Marion County, students of all ages — primarily in middle and high school — are taking online courses for a variety of reasons.</p><p>Some students take one or two advanced college-prep courses to get ahead. Others are looking for “grade forgiveness,” taking online courses to make up for the classes they failed or did poorly in.</p><p>Still others are home-schooled, or are taking a full load of online courses but split time between home and school.</p><p>They are among a growing number of students nationwide who are turning to “virtual schools” for some, or all, of their schooling.</p><p>Nationally, K-12 students earned 1.82 million half credits through virtual schools in 2010, up from 317,070 in 2003. The International Association for K-12 Online Learning predicts that number will grow to 5 million half credits by 2016.</p><p>A half credit is generally earned for a semester-long course.</p><p>In Florida, 148,000 students earned 303,000 half credits through the state's largest online school, Florida Virtual, during the 2011-12 school year, up from about 100 half credits 14 years ago.</p><p>Students are also flocking to the area's local online school, Marion Virtual. Marion Virtual's enrollment has climbed from just a handful six years ago to 655 in 2011-12. About 1,200 local students are also enrolled at Florida Virtual.</p><p>But while parents' and students' demands for virtual school instruction are exploding, some educators are concerned that there are not enough data to determine whether the quality of virtual schools is as good as traditional brick-and-mortar schools.</p><p>A report published in January by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado found that in 2010-2011 only 27 percent of the nation's 93 privately managed virtual schools achieved “adequate yearly progress” as defined by the federal government under the No Child Left Behind Act.</p><p>And a U.S. Department of Education study says data on virtual schools is limited and inconclusive.</p><p>The 2010 study revealed that while college and older students perform marginally better on online courses than students who receive face-to-face instruction, it noted that very little scientific analysis has been done on virtual K-12 schools.</p><p>Yet many parents are convinced.</p><p>George and Dorothy Davis decided about two years ago to explore virtual school after watching their youngest son, Travis, struggle to adapt to middle school. They liked what they saw in Marion Virtual and asked their oldest son, Cody, if he wanted to try it also.</p><p>“I thought I would give it a try,” said Cody, now 15, whose education has been interrupted several times in recent years as the family moved around. “This way I would never have to change schools again.”</p><p>Away from what he calls the “drama” of middle and high school, Cody says he is more focused on his studies through Marion Virtual. He works at his desk from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.</p><p>One of the criticisms of virtual school is the absence of face-to-face contact with a teacher. Virtual school teachers monitor students' progress from afar, are available to answer questions by phone, email or instant messaging and call students periodically to review course material and make sure the students understand what they're learning.</p><p>Dorothy Davis believes her sons actually have more access to teachers than when they were in traditional schools. Davis said the boys can contact virtual teachers all day long for help.</p><p>“I believe they are getting a better education,” she said, adding she knows her boys understand the material by the time they finish.</p><p>One of the state's leading fiscal watchdogs, Florida TaxWatch, agrees.</p><p>A 2006 study by TaxWatch concluded that virtual school students in grades K-12 outperformed mainstream students by 16 percentage points on the reading and math portions of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT. The report showed these students also scored better on advanced placement tests.</p><p>But that study is six years old, and there have been few subsequent studies that examine K-12 virtual school instruction.</p><p>Dee McCollum, 53, spent 30 years teaching at mainstream schools before leaving to teach full-time at Marion Virtual. McCollum believes the curriculum, which adheres the Florida Sunshine State Standards, is rigorous and effective.</p><p>McCollum said that about half of her students tend to be home-schooled. Those students generally work from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The others are mainstream brick-and-mortar students. They need help from 4-8 p.m.</p><p>McCollum says the beauty of the job, is that all of her work is tied to the phone and can talk to students from any location, even while she is on vacation.</p><p>“I can tell you that these kids are getting a quality education,” she said. “It's not some easy grade. They will tell you, they work very hard to pass these classes.”</p><p>Still, about half the students who start a semester in virtual school quit and return to the traditional classroom. In the 2010-11 school year, Marion Virtual students started 5,000 half-credit courses, yet only 2,500 credits were earned. Students can quit within two weeks without penalty.</p><p>Chris Altobello, president of the Marion Education Association, said that was the case when he was a middle school counselor.</p><p>“We support it, though it does have its place,” he cautioned.</p><p>The MEA is also concerned that virtual schools will be allowed to go far beyond the state class-size amendment in mainstream classrooms: 18 for grades K-2; 22 for grades 3-5; and 25 for middle and high schools.</p><p>“Now that would not be good for education,” Altobello said. Currently, Marion Virtual teachers are assigned the same number of students as traditional teachers.</p><p>West Port High Principal Jayne Ellspermann said one big concern is that full-time virtual students may struggle to comprehend some classes and are not able to get valuable face-to-face interaction with their teacher.</p><p>“For some online students, if they don't have that (face-to-face) teacher interaction, they don't do as well,” Ellspermann said. “Overall, it (virtual school) is a great option for some children.”</p><p>Marion Virtual student Missy Varnadoe, 13, also prefers working at her own pace. If she knows a chapter well, she zips right through it. If she is struggling, she can slow down and really learn the material.</p><p>Her mother, Patti Varnadoe, 49, said that in a mainstream classroom a teacher moves through a lesson plan even if all the children don't understand.</p><p>Missy does not miss the distractions of the middle school drama and spends time on Sunday and Wednesday with her church family for socialization.</p><p>“I am able to have a better relationship with the Lord,” she said.</p><p>Patti Varnadoe, however, said that some courses, like Spanish, are more difficult to master online than others.</p><p>Other classes are difficult to teach online.</p><p>Students in Lisa Iketani's physical fitness course create exercise routines and chart them in a log. They also learn good eating habits. They take tests and have one-on-one telephone tests with Iketani.</p><p>But Iketani knows that her class logs could be easily fabricated, so she has had to develop a system of checks to make sure students are learning the material.</p><p>Iketani said periodic verbal assessments with students give her an opportunity to gauge whether the child is doing the work or just pretending.</p><p>She also talks to parents monthly, often asking where their child has been working and what activities are being performed.</p><p>Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.</p>